It is doubtful that this week's debate between vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and J.D. Vance will receive quite the same attention as the debate between vice presidential candidates Harris and former President Trump. But historically, conflicts between running mates have often been more punitive. Much braver. It's more fun to watch. And sometimes, it's even more memorable.
It's hard to explain why the undercard is more interesting than the main event. But a first-round hockey playoff game is often a better game than the Stanley Cup Final. I've long argued that the American League and National League Championship Series are generally more competitive baseball than what we experience in the World Series.
Perhaps it has something to do with the way vice presidential candidates introduce themselves to the audience. They are simply less well known.
The late Rear Adm. James Stockdale quipped, “Who am I? Why am I here?” when independent presidential candidate Ross Perot nominated him as his running mate in 1992.
In Congress, like in baseball, there's always next year.
Stockdale's folksy line immediately drew laughter and applause from the crowd in Atlanta that night.
“I'm not a politician. Everyone knows that. So don't expect me to use the words of a Washington insider,” said Stockdale, a future running mate to President Clinton. He spoke from a podium sandwiched between Johnson, then a senator. Tennessee Democratic Party Al Gore and Vice President Dan Quayle.
While Gore and Quayle were arguing, their verbal abuse was going back and forth in front of Stockdale. He was mostly a silent spectator. At one point, Stockdale, trying to get his point across, suddenly blurts out that he feels like he's “in the middle of a ping-pong match.”
Based on precedent, the vice presidential debate between Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance is likely to be a more entertaining match than the main event, the presidential debate. It has been suggested that. (Getty Images)
Later in the debate, ABC News host Hal Bruno asked whether the campaign had “necessary” to use mudslinging tactics. Stockdale said he had not heard the question.
“My hearing aids weren't turned on. Tell me again,” Stockdale asked Bruno, eliciting another roar from the audience.
In some cases, vice presidential candidates need to understand each other's feelings.
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“The first time I met you was when you took the stage tonight,” then-Vice President Dick Cheney, then John Kerry's running mate, said during the 2004 vice presidential debate. said former U.S. Sen. John Edwards (North Carolina).
Running mates sometimes try to appear more realistic than top athletes.
Former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin (R) shook hands with then-Senator Biden on stage in St. Louis and declared, “Nice to meet you.'' “Can I call you Joe?”
Vice presidential candidates also often try to present themselves as more realistic than presidential candidates. A case in point is the vulgar greeting that then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin gave then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden during their 2008 showdown. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“Please call me Joe,” the future president replied with a smile.
During the 2012 vice presidential debate, Mr. Biden tried to project a lunch-pail personality: “Oh, shit.” He let it all out during a heated conversation with Republican vice presidential candidate and future House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
“When we look weak, the enemy wants to test us. They attack us more bravely,” Ryan said.
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“With all due respect, that's a terrible story,” the future president retorted.
Ms. Palin tried the same thing, using phrases like “dog-gone-it” and winking at the audience not once, but four times, punctuating her responses.
Vice presidential debates often feature sarcastic humor.
Another staple of vice presidential conflict is sarcastic humor. For example, in 1996, Al Gore promised to refrain from “warm and humorous talks about chlorofluorocarbon reduction” if his opponent, Jack Kemp, avoided sharing football anecdotes. (Robert Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
In a 1996 debate with Republican vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp, then-Vice President Gore said, “If you don't use any football stories, then you won't tell any of my warm and humorous stories about reducing chlorofluorocarbons.'' I promised.
Mr. Gore was known for his views on global warming and environmental policy. Kemp, a former congressman and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, also played quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills of the American Football League before they merged with the NFL.
Many people would pay to be a fly on the wall while preparing for a debate. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) waltzes during a session with Vance. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg played Vance in rehearsal with Waltz.
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But you don't have to be interested in these discussions. Sometimes a fly appears out of nowhere and lands on former Vice President Mike Pence's head. The same thing happened four years ago when Mr. Pence debated Vice President Harris in Salt Lake City.
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Beyond the flies, many remember well the 2020 Harris vs. Pence vice presidential debate, in which the vice president repeatedly declared “I'm the one talking” and implored Pence to wait his turn. Probably.
The fly that landed on Vice President Mike Pence's head during a scuffle with then-California Sen. Kamala Harris in 2020 was far from the worst thing that happened on stage that night. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Viewers also remember that Mr. Pence and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), spoke to each other during the 2016 debate.
During the first televised vice presidential debate in Houston in 1976, Republican vice presidential candidate and future Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) talked about World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam. described it as a “war of democracy.'' He added, “Richard Nixon's pardon is behind us. Watergate is behind us.”
“I think Sen. Dole has fully earned his reputation as an axeman tonight,” the future vice president and then-senator responded. Walter Mondale, D-D.
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And future President George H.W. It appeared that she had made a statement that angered female voters.
“Mr. Ferraro, let me help you with the difference between the Iranian and Lebanese embassies,” President Bush said.
“First of all, Vice President Bush, I almost resent your condescending attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy,” Ferraro retorted.
Geraldine Ferraro, then a New York congresswoman, accused her Republican opponent of needlessly belittling her Republican opponent, incumbent Vice President George H.W. Bush, during a 1984 debate over foreign policy. did. (Photo credit: © Wally McNamee/COBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
He said he had served in the House of Representatives for nearly six years by that point.
But the provocative line from the vice presidential debate is arguably one of the best lines in American political history.
During the 1988 election campaign, reporters and some members of the public jeered at Quayle as Bush 41's running mate. With his youthful appearance and frequent gaffes, Quayle seemed unprepared for the job. Quayle was 41 years old at the time. But he had already served nearly eight years in the Senate and nearly four years in the House. To compensate, Quayle often spun his own youth in the same way that the late President Jack Kennedy captivated the American imagination.
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Compared to his 1988 vice presidential candidate, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas, Mr. Quayle presented himself as calm, dignified, and stable. Bensen and his handlers were well aware of Quayle's “Jack Kennedy” comparisons. Then, during a debate in Omaha, Nebraska, Bensen waited for Quayle to set a trap for him.
“I have far more experience in Congress than most people who have ever run for the vice presidency of this country,” Quayle said. I have experience,” he said.
Bensen jumped.
Democratic Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen's 1988 sarcasm of Republican opponent Dan Quayle as “no Jack Kennedy” is generally considered one of the most memorable lines in recent political history. It is said that there is one. (Photo by Steve Liss/Getty Images)
“I served under Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are not Jack Kennedy,” Bensen said. Ta.
The auditorium erupted with applause and shouts.
Mr. Quayle stewed, staring daggers at his Senate colleagues.
“That was really unconscionable, Senator,” Quayle fumed.
Bensen's line has resonated for decades, lampooned on everything from Saturday Night Live to 30 Rock.
Just one historical footnote. JFK and Bensen never served together in the Senate. But they were members of Congress during the same period in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
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A running mate has two responsibilities. They have to show that they are ready to get down to business. And they should not overshadow the actual candidate. But in vice presidential debates, one word is often enough.
